Wood apple is a native of India and Ceylon and is
found through out the plains of India, particultrly in dry situations. It
occurs wild or cultivated upto an elevation of 1500 ft in the Western
Himalayas. It is also found elsewhere in India.

Description:

A small deciduous tree with short, erect, cylindrical stem,
75-95 cm high and 60-120 cm in girth, bearing thorny branches.

Wood apple pulp forms an excellent raw material
for making a jelly. The wood apple jelly resembles black currant or apple jelly
in quality. It is clear, of bright purple colour with firm quivering
consistency and exceedingly agreeable flavour.

The tree is lopped for fodder in some parts of
India.

The wood is durable both under cover and
exposed situations. It is used for making many articles.

Medicinal properties

In Ayurveda, wood apple fruit is considered tonic,
refreshing, cardiacal, astringent (when unripe), antiscorbutic and alexiformic.
It is used for the treatment of diarrhea and dysentery.

The pulp is used for affections of gum and
throat.

Wood apple gum

The tree exudes a gum from trunk and branches. This gum
resembles gum Arabic in properties. The exudation is profuse after the rainy
season. This gum is considered to be good substitute for gum Arabic. Ferronia
gum occurs in irregular semi transparent tears varying in colour from reddish
brown to pale yellow or colourless. The gum dissolves in water forming
tasteless mucilage, more viscous than the gum arabic.

Cultivation

Wood apple is often planted in India on the borders of
fields and as a roadside tree near villages. Sometimes a few trees are also
planted in the orchards.

This plant is propagated by seed. It can also
be multiplied by cuttings and layering. Even budding on its own seedlings is
feasible and the resultant trees are relatively of lesser height.

Wood apple can grow in almost every type of
soil. It also does not mind minor differences in climate.